OJ Simpson estate signs off on $58M for Ron Goldman’s father, decades after shocking double murder
Fred Goldman, father of murder victim Ron Goldman, won a civil suit against OJ Simpson in 1995. PROUSER ROSE/SIPA
Fred Goldman may finally be closer to receiving long-overdue compensation from O.J. Simpson’s estate, nearly 30 years after winning a civil judgment in the death of his son.
According to TMZ, Malcolm LaVergne — the executor of Simpson’s estate — has agreed to accept Goldman’s creditor claim for $57,997,858.12, plus continuing interest. The amount was reached after negotiations between Goldman and the estate. Goldman had originally filed a claim for more than $117 million, reflecting the $33 million civil judgment awarded in the 1990s and the decades of accumulated interest.
LaVergne challenged Goldman’s calculations and countered with a figure roughly half of what Goldman sought. Goldman ultimately agreed to the reduced total, TMZ reported.
The executor said the estate intends to pay as much of the approved amount as possible through ongoing auctions of Simpson’s belongings. Some items, LaVergne added, were stolen, and he is working with attorneys to recover them.
LaVergne also plans to ask the court to grant Goldman administrative fees for guidance he provided during the estate-handling process. To date, the executor has rejected nearly all other creditor claims, accepting only Goldman’s and one from the Internal Revenue Service.
The estate will pay the IRS first to satisfy federal tax obligations before addressing other debts, including a roughly $636,945 claim from the state of California. LaVergne said California would need to pursue legal action if it wants that money.
This agreement marks a sharp shift from LaVergne’s comments immediately after Simpson’s death last year, when he publicly stated he had no intention of paying the Goldman family. He later reversed course and agreed to honor their claim.
Requests for comment have been sent to LaVergne, the Goldmans, and the Browns.
Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found murdered on June 13, 1994, outside Brown Simpson’s Brentwood home. O.J. Simpson — a former NFL star who later built a career in acting and broadcasting — was charged but ultimately acquitted following a highly publicized trial that stretched more than a year.
Goldman’s family later filed a wrongful death lawsuit. In 1997, after a civil trial in which Simpson testified and denied involvement, a jury found him liable for both killings. Jurors awarded $8.5 million in compensatory damages and later added $25 million in punitive damages, split between the Goldman and Brown families.
Despite the $33.5 million judgment, only a small portion was ever collected during Simpson’s lifetime. The estate proceedings now mark the first substantial effort to satisfy the long-unpaid debt.
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